Immigration meeting nets no real solution

STACY LANGLEY

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, September 19, 2007

BAD AXE  Huron County farmers looking to find a solution to their employment woes during a county-wide immigration meeting earlier this week were able to get a few answers to many of their questions on hiring immigrant labor. The meeting, though, ended with no real solution, especially for local dairy farmers who need help on the farm all year long.

Due to significant public interest locally in the hiring of illegal workers, Huron County Sheriff Kent D. Tibbits said he asked members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency based out of the Detroit office to come to Huron County for the informational meeting at the Huron Expo Center Tuesday.

Tibbits said he felt the meeting would give the community a chance to gather information and ask questions related to current immigration policies. ICE agents Ian Quinn, John Ross and Tracy W. Townsend presented the program on immigration/employment eligibility, making Huron County one of the first counties in the state to have the opportunity to take part in such a presentation.

Quinn offered the group, made up of local politicians, farmers, ag lenders, community members and law enforcement officials, a brief background on ICE, a fairly new government agency formed in 2003 after the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) was abolished following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The group provided hand-outs and a handbook, which included color photos of what employment documents look like and how to examine the documents they may be presented with during the hiring process.

Those in attendance also received a explanation on how to fill out the I-9 employment eligibility verification form.

Attending Tuesdays meeting was Laker FFA adviser/ag teacher Don Wheeler, who said, after hearing what ICE officials had to say about the hiring of illegal immigrants, hes now a lot more sympathetic to area employers.

Added Wheeler: My take on the whole thing was that area employers could be doing all the right things, according to the law, and still be doing something wrong.

A lot of these farmers are doing the right thing. I think its a big misconception in the community. Its a confusing process. What I heard was if illegals show up for a job with what appears to be valid documents, and theyre hired, then the employer finds out the Social Security number doesnt match the employee, the employer cant fire the worker for 90 days or its discrimination.

Schulte said he was glad Tibbits brought people together to answer questions and to hear about some of the issues farmers are faced with when trying to find good help to work around the farm.

I thought the discussion was helpful when it came to how to fill out the (Employment Eligibility Verification) I-9 form, said Schulte.

The I-9 form is required by the government and must be filled out for all hired workers  United States citizens or not.

Schulte said, like many other dairy farmers in the county, he is unable to rely on local workers to do the job needed at his dairy operation.

When youre talking about hiring people from another country, they have a different work ethic, he explained. They want to work the 12-hour shifts that local people arent interested in. (Local people) dont want to work long hours and they dont want a job where they get dirty. Youre going to get dirty working on a dairy farm.

Randy Elenbaum, a Pigeon area farmer, said he too commends Tibbits for bringing all sides together for a meeting.

It was an attempt to get communication going  bringing all the parties together to solve a very complicated situation, said Elenbaum. This is a very complex matter. As farmers, we just are not used to dealing with these kinds of issues.

And who really has the time to do all of this? Workers come to a farmer with the documents that appear to be valid, you cant discriminate against them, but you need to protect yourself from hiring illegals its complicated. Basically, youd have to hire more people just to take care of filling out all the paper work and verifying all the information to protect yourself and your farm.

My impression was theyre asking us to do their job. The U.S. cant seem to control the border so theyre asking us to control the border for them. Thats basically my bottom line.

Elenbaum said for 50 years his family has hired immigrant labor.

My dads generation, and now my generation, have all hired immigrant labor  seasonal labor, he said. But everyones situation is different. Everyones needs are different for the kind of labor they need. Things are changing and farmers are going to have to change, too. The meeting was constructive and we learned something. We learned it will be complicated from now on.

During Tuesdays meeting, officials discussed several government programs available to area farmers to find seasonal immigrant help, but it was clear the government has yet to work out a program that will help dairy farmers find the long-term help they need.

The meeting wrapped up with questions and a brief discussion about a program called IMAGE, in which employers enroll in an agreement with the ICE agency to, according to ICE, minimize vulnerabilities that help illegal aliens gain unlawful employment.

The programs goal is to assist employers in obtaining a more stable and secure workforce and to enhance the awareness of fraudulent documents.

For more information about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or about the IMAGE program, go to www.ice.gov.